SYMPHONY CONCERT. Thursday 26th June 2025. At The Cape Town City Hall: CPO, AfriArts Choir and Opera UCT conducted by Jeremy Silver; Verdi: Il Trovatore, with soloists Nontobeko Bhengu (Leonora), Mkhanyiseli Dyanti (Manrico), Bongiwe Nakani (Azucena), Theo Magongoma( Comte di Luna), Monde Misimini (Ferrando), Thandolwethu Longo (Ruiz), Dineo Bokala (Ines). DEON IRISH reviews.
THE last concert of the Winter Symphony Season was devoted to a concert performance of Verdi’s 1853 opera, “Il Trovatore” (The Troubadour), which had its premiere in Rome just three months ahead of the Venetian premiere of the same composer’s even more celebrated “La Traviatia”.
While a concert performance does lack one half of the operatic art form – what one might term the visual realization of the libretto – it to some extent compensates for that failure by facilitating a more focussed attention on the purely musical: the vocal and orchestral elements. Although, on this occasion, the visual was not entirely absent, since the soloists did accompany their vocal contributions with some movement and gesture. But it essentially remained a purely musical experience and – certainly as far as the orchestral accompaniment was concerned – the better for it.
For one of the drawbacks of live opera is that, in so many cases (it does very much depend on the house, of course), the orchestral sound is less than optimal, either because of the configuration and resultant acoustic properties of the orchestra pit, or because the size of the pit requires a severely reduced orchestra (particularly strings).
So, when the welcome sight of Jeremy Silver stepped onto the podium and set the orchestra off on the overture to this work, one was immediately struck by the richness of the full orchestral sound. It’s a dramatic overture; but being delivered in the full richness of the City Hall acoustics made of its potentially trite mannerisms something very fine indeed.
First up of the soloists was Monde Misimini, a very experienced stage performer who looked entirely at home in this slightly unfamiliar context. His dramatic account of the history of the abduction of the comital infant by a malevolent gypsy woman was vocally assured and presented the chorus with their first opportunity of displaying some invigorating interventions. (The “E vero!” was a very authentic outburst. And the Anvil Chorus was, of course, a winner.)
We then had our first introduction to the three members of the love triangle; the Count (Magongoma), his beloved Leonora (Bhengu) and her secret love, Manrico (Dyanti). Bhengu commenced with the tandeem arias Tacea la notte and Di tale amor, affording her immediate opportunity of demonstrating disparate aspects of her considerable vocal art. The former is a laconic aria of remembrance of her first encounter with the troubadour of the title, Manrico; it’s gentle melody with intense chromaticisms affording opportunity to demonstrate both precise intonation and characterful legato – and a secure top B flat. In contrast, the succeeding aria is a joyful allegro of future expectation, the Bel canto writing demonstrating agility and precise ornamentation – and, going one better, a top C.
Towering outpouring of jealous rage
Magongoma needed no introduction to this audience and his wonderful baritone was immediately put to good effect in the opening section of the Tace la notte sequence. He captured the changing mood of the character extraordinarily well; first, the anticipation of seeing his inamorata; then his alarm at hearing first the troubadour’s lute and then his signature aria in the dark night; then, after Leonora’s confusing of identities and revealing her love fort the troubadour, his tremendous account of Di geloso amor, a towering outpouring of jealous rage and burning resentment.
This was just a foretaste. He got better and better, demonstrating wonderful musicality and considerable technical skill in the long lines, tricky ornamentation and wide range of Il balen del suo sorriso.
As Manrico, Dyanti commenced in less than assured manner. He is a young artist and perhaps a degree of nervousness played a part, but the opening Deserto sulla terra serenade sounded strained and lacked the natural fluency of the typical Italian tenor. Things did settle down in the performance and he sounded far more fluent in later scenes – such as Mal regendo – although his vocal quality remained perhaps more Germanic than Italian in character. Di quella pira, whilst entirely accurately sung, did seem to lack a sheer brilliance of tone.
Nakani’s account of the malevolent Azucena – I recall memorable local performances by the likes of Evie Dalberg and Sally Presant – was vocally and intonationally secure, even in the upper ranges of the writing; but, again, her particular voice is perhaps not (yet) suited to this role. She was not powerful enough in the context of her fellow soprano and baritone soloists; but, that apart, the role needs a certain – how to put this – almost coarseness of delivery that gives it the required vicious undercurrent. Perhaps not so much in Stride la vampa!, but certainly in the dramatic interplays with the Count. That having been said, the Si, la stanchezza duet with Dyanti was most satisfying and neatly delineated.
Jeremy Silver’s contribution
As already alluded to, conductor Jeremy Silver’s contribution was exemplary. Displaying an impeccable grasp of the score, he led singers, soloists, chorus and orchestra with assured authority through the entire work. Ensemble, in particular, was notably good, which in itself speaks volumes not only of his inherently sensible choices of tempi but also of his clear control of firmati and rubati, which is where things often break down with nonprofessional choirs.
The entirely enthusiastic audience response was more than justified and the concert can be accounted an unqualified success for the CPO.
But ….
There are a couple of aspects which need consideration. Firstly, the question whether a concert version of an opera is an appropriate inclusion in a symphony season. Here I do not question the musical validity of this endeavour at all; rather, whether it was appropriate to mount it in lieu of a symphonic programme, of which we only have about a dozen in a calendar year. We already hear so few symphonies and concertos out of a vast repertoire that losing even one such concert seems a pity.
Then, would concert performances of this nature not more appropriately be mounted by Cape Town Opera, which does not have many productions in a year and to which this type of production seems more logically connected. It might afford opportunity to hear the Opera Chorus – in conjunction with choral forces such as we heard at this concert – in works never likely to have a full staging in Cape Town. How I’d love to hear a Boris Godounov done with local solo and choral forces!
As for choral works with the CPO, let’s have some of the great choral works which have not been done in this city for a great many years. Is a Berlioz Te Deum out of the question? Or his Requiem? Or that of Dvorak? We get few enough choral works and then generally the same recurring handful.
Reviewer: Deon Irish
WS
